PLUMBERS HELP.Ripped up B'room floor but not enough room for new Shower Waste U bend

Frank_Sebem

Hi all

I didn't have enough room in the title box to say what my problem was. Here it is...

We have a VERY small En-Suite bathroom, which is badly in need of remodernising. So... I thought, Why not have a wet room similar to one I saw in a showroom (flat/level floor all round the bathroom). Already in place was a horrible shower tray which when you stood in the shower you were raised 8 inches off the floor. This really was ugly!. So, I removed the shower, Took out this horrible shower base and ripped up the chip board flooring. I am now back to the Joists.

So, I contacted a company who supply Bathroom/Wetroom floors (formers). However, after a long chat it appears I have not accounted for the following:

The Water flow rate?
The fall of the water?

It also appears that I have not left enough room for the Shower Waste/trap under the floor. With this particular point I cast my mind back to when I removed the old shower base/tray. Underneath that shower plug hole I think I remember a 'U' bend from underneath the Plug hole. Then the water ran off straight down the waste to the outside. I didn't understand the guy fully (my fault, not his), but I think he was trying to say...'Ok, so in your idea you're plughole is now level with the floor (because you've done away with a raised tray)...How are you going to incorporate a 'U' bend underneath that Plug hole'? Well, I think he meant that. But....When I had this bright idea last year I'm sure I remember a mate down the pub (Yes, him!) telling me that there was another 'device' or invention that goes under the plug hole that is not in the style of a large 'U' bend. I'm sure he mentioned something like Hepworth Trap ???.

So, now, after I told wife we can have a flat floor in the wetroom it appears this may not be the case simply because there's not enough room for a 'U' bend waste under the plug hole/waste.

UNLESS.... There is a device/gizmo/invention that goes under the shower waste/plughole that does not consist of a 'U' bend. In an ideal world the waste Water would come out of the Shower plughole and simply turn right at a 90 degree angle and straight down the pipe. Or...There would be some kind of mini 'U' bend type Gizmo.

I think I am right in thinking that the 'U' bend on waste outlets is designed like this so there is always a small amount of water trapped in the 'U' bend to stop smells travelling back up the plughole into the room? Am I right?

Anyone got any ideas on my problems and solutions?

Thanks Peeps.

Doozergirl

You can have a trap. Don't ask me the technical details, but I've seen the things and it's about the size of a tin of beans, bit shallower that sits underneath the plug.

If you raised the floor level in the whole ensuite slightly then it will help fit what you need underneath. Otherwise you can get low level shower trays which are much more attractive than the giant high ones, I wouldn't worry that you'd still be left with something unattractive.

mvteng

We've got one of these : Mira low 90mm shower waste

http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/mira-flight-low-90mm-vortex-433-18908

martinthebandit

mvteng wrote: »

We've got one of these : Mira low 90mm shower waste

http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/mira-flight-low-90mm-vortex-433-18908

so have we, works fine

olias

DO NOT MAKE A WET ROOM! Particularly in a very small en-suite.

1st problem - To make them watertight on a 1st floor costs a lot more money than a normal shower cubicle.
2nd problem - shower spray (and water spraying from you as you wash your hair/body etc) splatters all over your toilet/sink/mirror/toiletries/towel/bath robe etc.

Just think about it. Take a shower in a cublicle (OK, not yours as you have ripped it out, but a friend or relatives) and look at the amount of water on the shower doors and panels. Without the cubicle to contain that water, it will be sprayed all over your bathroom and everything in it. Not a problem if you have a palatial room with the shower at one end way away from the other things - big problem in a very small en-suite.

As stated, get a slimline shower tray - preferably a heavy stone or resin one so it won't flex, with a proper shower surround.

Olias

GlynD

Here's your Hepworth Trap http://www.plumbingpages.com/featurepages/HepwasteMay01.cfm

eeeeeee

r u farnworth near bolton or in surrey ...

fluffpot

I used one of these to get round the fall problem...


http://www.wedi.co.uk/building-materials/walk-in-showers/fundo-primo-point-drain.php

expensive as I had to have mine custom made, but it looks great

gas4you

Wet room should ideally have 50mm waste.

blue70

We also have a fairly small en-suite but we put a double shower at one end with this shower tray http://www.heatandplumb.com/acatalog/MX_Rectangular_1400_x_900mm_Low_Profile_Tray.html

It comes with a free waste that easily sits under the floorboards and is shallower than the joists. The shower tray is so low profile that by the time you have tiled the floor the differnce is a centimetre or so.

We then put in a posh looking glass sliding shower door (the Vitra from Porcelanosa). Looks very nice and much more practical than a wet room.

Mrs_justjohn

When we ripped our old bath out we realised that there was not a lot of clearance under it - the previous plumber just cut a hole in the floorboards for the u bend to dangle through...LOL - We replaced the bath and the u bend with a smaller waste.